Tactical Theory: Creating High-xG Shots Part Two – Tactically Balanced Teams’ Tactics

The possession-dominant teams featured in our high xG shot creation tactical analysis often make the game look easier.

While there is beauty in simplicity, and they pull it off well, a certain degree of quality is necessary to execute attacking sequences with those levels of precision.

We certainly wont assume that any given team can replicate what Manchester City can do in the final third.

Thats simply unrealistic.

This weeks article touches on the same topic but from a different angle.

Our tactical theory highlights clubs that are more tactically balanced.

Against your average opponent, theyll have slightly more of the ball and will spend less time scaling the walls in the final third.

These teams offer an alternative route to goal.

Our objective is to figure out how they create consistently high-quality goal-scoring opportunities.

Shot Creation From Defending Tactics

Much like the tactical analysis on how possession-dominant teams create high xG shots, we’ll start this tactical theory piece from the defensive angle.

One thing we want to capture is the variety of approaches.

Many of these teams will set out in a high press, especially against similar or weaker opponents, but they are also well-versed in mid-block defending.

We want to cover the entire gamut of their defensive approach and how defending tactics lead to attacking opportunities.

Fiorentina  Serie A

We’ll start in Serie A with Fiorentina.

Right away, we can see the distinctive man-oriented approach in the high press.

As the ball moves from the left half-space to the left wing, Fiorentina shifts from tighter man marking to third defenders, moving into a more zonal orientation.

The players nearest the ball tend to stay with their marks, while those furthest from it, especially those higher up the pitch, will often have two responsibilities.

In the sequence, as the ball was played into the left wing, Fiorentina was well-prepared to pressure the opponents first touch and poke it away.

Their out-of-possession structure allowed them to recover the ball and play into their highest forward quickly.

He was splitting the centrebacks, giving